1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to certain new and useful improvements in gate opening and closing assemblies, and more particularly, to gate opening and closing assemblies with automatic locking means, and the method of using the same to shift a gate between an open and closed position.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, there have been a number of gate opening and closing assemblies and particularly, automatic type opening and closing assemblies. These gate assemblies have received increasing prominence in many commercial applications. There are several types of gates which are moved from a closed position to an open position in order to provide access and back to a closed position in order to provide a type of security. One type of gate is a gate which is slidable on a trackway, or other mechanism, for movement in a linear direction. This type of gate shifts from an open position in a linear path to a closed position in order to block the access opening. Other types of gates have one vertical side portion thereof hingedly mounted so that the other vertical side portion is swingable away from a stationary structure to a open position and back toward the stationary structure to a closed position.
As indicated previously, the automatic gate openers, in particular, have received increased prominence in recent years. These automatic gate openers may operate on the basis of a remote central mechanism such that a party desiring to open or close the gate does not have to physically engage the gate. For example, the assembly may use a radio transmitter and receiver system, such that a radio transmitter, when actuated, will generate a particular frequency signal which is sensed by the receiver to automatically operate the gate or door in order to open the same or close the same.
These radio transmitter and receiver systems have been used with various types of gates. Moreover, they have also been used with gates having one vertical side wall hingedly mounted and the other of which moves with respect to the stationary structure.
One of the principal problems encountered with respect to gates having one edge hingedly mounted and which are relatively large is that the free end of the gate which is moved with respect to the stationary structure must be separately locked when the gate has been moved to the closed position. This is particularly true in view of the fact that a relatively large sized gate can be easily "sprung" that is, pried from an unlocked position even when a gate opening and closing assembly exerts a positive locking force thereon. For example, the gate opening and closing assembly may include a rod which shifts the gate from the open position to the closed position and thereby locks the gate at the closed position. However, due to the face that the gate may be fairly large at least with respect to the distance between the hinge axis and the stationary structure, there is an easy mechanical advantage for one unauthorizedly attempting to open the gate against the action of the rod in the gate opening and closing assembly. Thus, there has not been any effective gate opening and closing assembly which opens and closes a gate as well as automatically locks and unlocks the gate simultaneously therewith.
The present invention obviates these and other problems in the provision of a gate opening and closing apparatus which is designed so that it permits a shiftable movement of a hingedly mounted gate from an open position to a closed position and automatically locks the gate at the closed position and automatically unlocks the gate just before shifting the same from the closed to the open position.